U.S. patent application number 13/880695 was filed with the patent office on 2013-08-22 for apparatus and method for displaying strength of power and expected charge completion time during wireless charging.
The applicant listed for this patent is Noh-Gyoung Kang, Joon-Ho Park, Eun-Tae Won. Invention is credited to Noh-Gyoung Kang, Joon-Ho Park, Eun-Tae Won.
Application Number | 20130214744 13/880695 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45975751 |
Filed Date | 2013-08-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130214744 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kang; Noh-Gyoung ; et
al. |
August 22, 2013 |
APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DISPLAYING STRENGTH OF POWER AND EXPECTED
CHARGE COMPLETION TIME DURING WIRELESS CHARGING
Abstract
Provided is an apparatus and method for displaying a strength of
power and an expected charge completion time during wireless
charging. To this end, a first electronic device, upon receiving a
power request message, converts stored or wirelessly supplied power
into a wirelessly-transmittable form and transmits the converted
power. A second electronic device, upon receiving a charging
command, determines whether being located in a distance and a
position which allow charging with the first electronic device,
transmits the power request message to the first electronic device,
receives the converted power from the first electronic device to
measure the strength of the received power, and calculates an
expected charge completion time by using the detected strength of
power, if the second electronic device is located in the distance
and position which allow charging.
Inventors: |
Kang; Noh-Gyoung; (Seoul,
KR) ; Won; Eun-Tae; (Seoul, KR) ; Park;
Joon-Ho; (Seongnam-si, KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Kang; Noh-Gyoung
Won; Eun-Tae
Park; Joon-Ho |
Seoul
Seoul
Seongnam-si |
|
KR
KR
KR |
|
|
Family ID: |
45975751 |
Appl. No.: |
13/880695 |
Filed: |
October 20, 2011 |
PCT Filed: |
October 20, 2011 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/KR2011/007850 |
371 Date: |
April 19, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
320/162 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H02J 7/027 20130101;
H02J 50/90 20160201; H02J 7/00 20130101; H02J 7/025 20130101; H02J
50/80 20160201; H02J 50/12 20160201 |
Class at
Publication: |
320/162 |
International
Class: |
H02J 7/00 20060101
H02J007/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 21, 2010 |
KR |
10-2010-0102884 |
Claims
1. A method for displaying a strength of power and an expected
charge completion time during wireless charging, the method
comprising: receiving, by an electronic device, a charging command;
determining whether the electronic device is located in a distance
and a position which allow charging with respect to a counterpart
electronic device; in response to determining that the electronic
device is located in the distance and the position which allow
charging, receiving power from the counterpart electronic device;
measuring the strength of the received power; calculating an
expected charge completion time using the measured strength of the
received power; and displaying the calculated expected charge
completion time.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the
electronic device is located in the distance and the position which
allow charging comprises determining whether the counterpart
electronic device is present within a preset range.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, in response to
determining that the counterpart electronic device is not present
within the preset range, outputting a charging unavailable message
and terminating the charging.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining positions
of a coil of the counterpart electronic device and a coil of the
electronic device to determine whether charging is available.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the expected charge
completion time comprises: measuring the strength of the currently
received power based on the distance and position with respect to
the counterpart electronic device and measuring an amount of power
remaining in the electronic device; and calculating the expected
charge completion time using the measured strength of power and the
measured amount of power remaining in the electronic device.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: displaying the
strength of the received power; and measuring and displaying the
strength of the received power each time the distance and the
position of at least one of the electronic device and the
counterpart electronic device changes.
7. The method of claim 6, further comprising, in response to
measuring a new strength of power during wireless charging,
recalculating the expected charge completion time using the new
strength of power.
8. An apparatus configured to display a strength of power and an
expected charge completion time during wireless charging, the
apparatus comprising: a communication and control unit configured
to, upon receiving a charging command, determine whether an
electronic device is located in a distance and a position which
allow charging with respect to a counterpart electronic device; in
response to determining that the electronic device is located in
the distance and the position which allow charging, receive power
from the counterpart electronic device; measure the strength of the
received power; and calculate an expected charge completion time
using the measured strength of the received power; a power
reception unit configured to receive power from the counterpart
electronic device under control of the communication and control
unit; and a display unit configured to display the calculated
expected charge completion time.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a battery
configured to store the received power.
10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the communication and control
unit is configured to determine whether the counterpart electronic
device is present within a preset range, and in response to
determining that the counterpart electronic device is not present
within the preset range, the communication and control unit is
configured to calculate an expected charge completion time based on
the distance with respect to the counterpart electronic device.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein in response to determining
that the counterpart electronic device is not present within the
preset range, the communication and control unit is configured to
output a charging unavailable message and terminate the
charging.
12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the communication and control
unit is configured to measure the strength of the currently
received power based on the distance and the position with respect
to the counterpart electronic device, measure an amount of power
remaining in the electronic device, and calculate the expected
charge completion time using the measured strength of power and the
measured amount of power remaining in the electronic device.
13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the display unit is
configured to display the strength of the received power and update
the strength of the received power each time the distance and
position of at least one of the electronic device and the
counterpart electronic device changes.
14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the communication and control
unit is configured to remeasure the strength of the received power
and recalculate the expected charge completion time when the
electronic device comprising the communication and control unit or
the counterpart electronic device is moved.
15. (canceled)
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to wireless charging, and more
particularly to, an apparatus and method for displaying an expected
charge completion time based on a strength of power during wireless
charging.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] With the development of modern society, users' preference of
portable electronic devices has increased and the electronic
devices have become essential for providing a uniquitous
environment to users. Various electronic devices which currently
support communication functions now move from a communication
scheme using a wired cable, such as a telephone line, a network
cable, a headphone cable, etc. to a communication scheme using
wireless technology, such as Bluetooth, a wireless Local Area
Network (LAN), etc. At present, power supply to portable electronic
devices is mostly managed by rechargeable batteries, and therefore,
the introduction of wireless charging to the field of battery
charging may be innovative.
[0003] The wireless charging technology is also called wireless
power technology in which for example, a battery of an electronic
device is charged once the electronic device is put on a charge
pad, instead of being connected to a separate charge connector.
Generally, a battery of a wireless electric toothbrush or a
wireless shaver is charged using the wireless charging technology,
which is also known to the public. This technology may improve a
waterproof function in a sense that an electronic product is
wirelessly charged, and may also improve portability of the
electronic product because of not requiring a wired charger.
[0004] The wireless charging technology may be roughly classified
into an electromagnetic induction scheme using coils, a wireless
power transmission scheme which converts an electric energy into
microwaves for transmission, and a scheme using resonance. The
wireless charging technology will be described in more detail
below.
[0005] The electromagnetic induction scheme transmits power between
a primary coil and a secondary coil. The movement of a magnet in a
coil generates induced current, thus generating electricity. That
is, a transmission unit generates a magnetic field, such that
current is induced according to a change of the magnetic field in a
reception unit, thus producing energy. A phenomenon in which
current is generated by a coil and a magnet is called a magnetic
induction phenomenon. The electromagnetic induction scheme is
advantageous in its high energy-transmission efficiency, such that
this scheme has been commercialized most in the wireless charging
technology, and has been applied to various electronic devices.
[0006] The scheme using resonance wirelessly transmits power by
using a resonance-based power transmission principle, even when a
charging device is located several meters away from an electronic
device. This scheme uses the physics concept of resonance in which
if a tuning fork is hit, a wine glass near the tuning fork vibrates
at the same frequency of the tuning fork. Electromagnetic waves,
instead of sound, containing electric energy are resonated to
wirelessly transmit power.
[0007] The wireless power transmission scheme radiates Radio
Frequency (RF)/microwaves to wirelessly transmit power. This scheme
is a new concept of power transmission which converts power energy
into microwaves favorable to wireless transmission and transmits
energy.
[0008] An internal structure of an electronic device using the
above-described wireless charging technology will be described in
detail.
[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an internal structure
of a conventional electronic device which is wirelessly
rechargeable. In FIG. 1, an electronic device 11 which transmits
power and an electronic device 12 which receives power are shown
together.
[0010] Referring to FIG. 1, the power-transmitting electronic
device 11 may include a power conversion unit 101, a communication
and control unit 103, and a coil 105. The power conversion unit 101
is connected with the coil 105 for generating a magnetic field, and
the communication and control unit 103 controls the power
conversion unit 101 to supply power up to a level desired by the
power-transmitting electronic device 11.
[0011] The power-receiving electronic device 12 may include a coil
107, a power reception unit 109, a communication and control unit
111, and a battery 113. The power reception unit 109 is connected
with the coil 107 for power supply and demand. The communication
and control unit 111 controls power supplied by the
power-transmitting electronic device 11 to the battery 113.
[0012] The power-transmitting electronic device 11 shown in FIG. 1
is typically a charging pad, and the power-receiving electronic
device 12 is a portable electronic device having a rechargeable
battery, such as a mobile terminal. Generally, in the course of
wireless charging, a Light Emitting Diode (LED) indication lamp of
the power-transmitting electronic device 11 or the power-receiving
electronic device 12 is flickered or lighted, and upon completion
of wireless charging, the LED indication lamp thereof is lighted in
green, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
[0013] FIGS. 2 and 3 are diagrams illustrating a conventional
wireless charging system. In the system illustrated in FIGS. 2 and
3, a power-transmitting electronic device is a charging pad 201 and
a power-receiving electronic device is a portable mobile terminal
203. FIG. 2 shows a state in which wireless charging is in
progress, and FIG. 3 shows a state in which wireless charging is
completed.
[0014] Referring to FIG. 2, once the portable mobile terminal 203
is put on the charging pad 201, wireless charging starts. When
wireless charging starts, an LED indication lamp 205 of the
portable mobile terminal 203 is flickered or lighted in red to
inform a user that wireless charging is in progress.
[0015] Referring to FIG. 3, after an elapse of a predetermined time
since the portable mobile terminal 203 has been put on the charging
pad 201, wireless charging is completed. Upon completion of
wireless charging, the LED indication lamp 205 of the portable
mobile terminal 203 is flickered or lighted in green to inform the
user that wireless charging has been completed.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
Technical Problem
[0016] However, the currently used electronic device which supports
wireless charging merely supports red and green LEDs which indicate
only the in-progress state of charging or completion of charging.
In this case, when the LED is lighted in red, the user cannot know
how much charging has progressed.
Solution to Problem
[0017] Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention is to
provide an apparatus and method by which a strength of power
currently supplied to an electronic device which supports wireless
charging is detected and displayed on a display unit, thereby
allowing a user to know whether a position of wireless charging of
the electronic device is appropriate and to know a time required
for completing wireless charging.
[0018] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a method for displaying a strength of power and an
expected charge completion time during wireless charging, the
method including receiving, by an electronic device, a charging
command, determining whether the electronic device is located in a
distance and a position, which allow charging, with respect to a
counterpart electronic device, if the electronic device is located
in the distance and position which allow charging, receiving power
from the counterpart electronic device, measuring the strength of
the received power and calculating an expected charge completion
time by using the measured strength of the received power, and
displaying the calculated expected charge completion time.
[0019] According to another aspect of the present invention, there
is provided an apparatus for displaying a strength of power and an
expected charge completion time during wireless charging, the
apparatus including a communication and control unit for, upon
receiving a charging command, determining whether an electronic
device is located in a distance and a position, which allow
charging, with respect to a counterpart electronic device, if the
electronic device is located in the distance and position which
allow charging, receiving power from the counterpart electronic
device, measuring the strength of the received power and
calculating an expected charge completion time by using the
measured strength of the received power, a power reception unit for
receiving power from the counterpart electronic device under
control of the communication and control unit, and a display unit
for displaying the calculated expected charge completion time.
[0020] According to another aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a system for displaying a strength of power and an
expected charge completion time during wireless charging, the
system including a first electronic device for, upon receiving a
power request message, converting stored or wirelessly supplied
power into a wirelessly-transmittable form and transmitting the
converted power, and a second electronic device for, upon receiving
a charging command, determining whether being located in a distance
and a position which allow charging with the first electronic
device, transmitting the power request message to the first
electronic device, receiving the converted power from the first
electronic device to measure the strength of the received power,
and calculating an expected charge completion time by using the
detected strength of power, if the second electronic device is
located in the distance and position which allow charging.
Advantageous Effects of Invention
[0021] During wireless charging, a user can be informed of a
strength of power currently transmitted to an electronic device,
such that the user can change or correct the position of the
electronic device. Moreover, by displaying an expected charge
completion time based on the current strength of power, user
convenience can be provided.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0022] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an internal structure
of a conventional electronic device which is wirelessly
rechargeable;
[0023] FIGS. 2 and 3 are diagrams illustrating a conventional
wireless charging system;
[0024] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an internal structure
of an electronic device which is wirelessly rechargeable according
to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0025] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a display
unit of an electronic device which receives power according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0026] FIGS. 6 and 7 are diagrams illustrating a change of a
strength of wireless power with respect to a distance between
electronic devices which performs wireless charging according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0027] FIGS. 8 and 9 are diagrams illustrating a change of a
strength of wireless power with respect to positions of electronic
devices which perform wireless charging according to an embodiment
of the present invention; and
[0028] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process of measuring a
strength of power and displaying an expected charge completion time
during wireless charging according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0029] Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention will be described in detail with reference to the
accompanying drawings. In the following description, specific
details such as detailed configuration and components are merely
provided to assist the overall understanding of an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, it should be
apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and
modifications of the exemplary embodiment described herein can be
made without departing from the scope and spirit of the
invention.
[0030] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an internal structure
of an electronic device which is wirelessly rechargeable according
to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 4, a
power-transmitting electronic device 41 and a power-receiving
electronic device 43 are shown together.
[0031] Referring to FIG. 4, the power-transmitting electronic
device 41 may include a power conversion unit 401, a communication
and control unit 403, and a coil 405. The power conversion unit 401
converts input power into a form, which can be wirelessly
transmitted, and transmits the power, under control of the
communication and control unit 403. The converted power is
transmitted through the coil 405 connected to the power conversion
unit 401. The communication and control unit 403 controls the power
conversion unit 201 to transit power. Although not shown in FIG. 4,
the input power may be supplied in a wired manner or may be
supplied from a battery disposed inside the power-transmitting
electronic device 41. The battery in the power-transmitting
electronic device 41, upon receiving a request from the power
conversion unit 401, transmits stored power to the power conversion
unit 401.
[0032] The power-receiving electronic device 43 may include a coil
407, a power reception unit 409, a communication and control unit
411, a battery 413, and a display unit 415.
[0033] The power reception unit 409, upon receiving the converted
power from the power- transmitting electronic device 41, converts
the power into power which is available to the battery 413, and
transmits the converted power to the battery 413. The power
reception unit 409 receives the converted power through the coil
407 connected to the power reception unit 409, basically under
control of the communication and control unit 411. The
communication and control unit 411 controls the power reception
unit 409 to receive power. The communication and control unit 411
measures a strength of the power received by the power reception
unit 409 and measures the amount of power required by the battery
413 to calculate an expected charge completion time of the battery
413. The display unit 415 displays the expected charge completion
time calculated by the communication and control unit 411.
[0034] If a distance between the two electronic devices 41 and 43
and a position of one of the two electronic devices 41 and 43
change, a strength of transmission or reception power also changes.
Therefore, the communication and control unit 411 of the
power-receiving electronic device 43 calculates an accurate
expected chare complete time by measuring a strength of power in
real time.
[0035] While each of the communication and control units 403 and
411 is shown as a single component in FIG. 4, a communication unit
and a control unit may be separated to perform their respective
functions.
[0036] A description will now be made of a detailed structure of
the display unit 415 shown in FIG. 4.
[0037] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a structure of the display
unit 415 of the power-receiving electronic device 43 according to
an embodiment of the present invention. The display unit 415
separately outputs a wireless power display portion 501 and a
remaining time display portion 503 when wireless charging is
performed. The output of the wireless power display portion 501
means that power is currently received from a power-transmitting
electronic device in a wireless manner, and the wireless power
display portion 501 may display a strength of received wireless
power differently according to the strength of the wireless power.
The strength of wireless power is determined depending on a
distance and a position with respect to a counterpart electronic
device. The remaining time display portion 503 displays an expected
charge completion time required until the battery 413 is fully
charged, taking account of the strength of the received power and
the amount of power currently remaining in the battery 413. The
calculation of the expected charge completion time is performed by
the communication and control unit 411 shown in FIG. 4.
[0038] With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, a description will be made
of a process of displaying an expected charge completion time
during wireless charging.
[0039] FIGS. 6 and 7 are diagrams illustrating a change of a
strength of wireless power with respect to a distance between
electronic devices which perform wireless charging according to an
embodiment of the present invention. On the assumption that the
power-transmitting electronic device 41 is a charging pad and the
power-receiving electronic device 43 is a portable mobile terminal
in FIGS. 6 and 7, the two electronic devices 41 and 43, which
perform wireless charging, are positioned with a relatively long
distance therebetween in FIG. 6; the two electronic devices 41 and
43 are positioned with a relatively short distance therebetween in
FIG. 7.
[0040] Referring to FIG. 6, when a distance between the charging
pad 41 and the portable mobile terminal is relatively long within a
range in which wireless charging can be performed, the portable
mobile terminal 43 measures a strength of power wirelessly received
from the charging pad 41 to display the strength of the currently
received power on the wireless power display portion 501, and
calculates an expected charge completion time to display the
expected charge completion time on the remaining time display
portion 503. In FIG. 6, the strength of power is indicated with two
bars on the wireless power display portion 501, which means that
the strength of the received power is not high, and a corresponding
expected charge completion time is indicated as 2 hours and 30
minutes on the remaining time display portion 503.
[0041] Referring to FIG. 7, when the distance between the charging
pad 41 and the portable mobile terminal is relatively short within
the range in which wireless charging can be performed, like in FIG.
6, the portable mobile terminal 43 measures a strength of power
wirelessly received from the charging pad 41 to display the
strength of the currently received power on the wireless power
display portion 501, and calculates an expected charge completion
time to display the expected charge completion time on the
remaining time display portion 503. In FIG. 7, the strength of
power is indicated with four bars on the wireless power display
portion 501, which means that the strength of the received power is
high, and a corresponding expected charge completion time is
indicated as 1 hour and 20 minutes on the remaining time display
portion 503, which means that wireless charging can be completed
within a relatively short time.
[0042] FIGS. 8 and 9 are diagrams illustrating a change of a
strength of wireless power with respect to positions of electronic
devices which perform wireless charging according to an embodiment
of the present invention. Assuming that the power-transmitting
electronic device 41 is a charging pad and the power-receiving
electronic device 43 is a portable mobile terminal in FIGS. 8 and
9, positions of coils 405 and 407 for transmitting and receiving
power for the two electronic devices 41 and 43, which perform
wireless charging, are different from each other in FIG. 8; the
positions of the coils 405 and 407 are identical to each other in
FIG. 9.
[0043] Referring to FIG. 8, the coil 407 in the portable mobile
terminal 43 and the coil 405 in the charging pad 41 are not
positioned collinearly with each other. The portable mobile
terminal 43 measures a strength of power wirelessly received from
the coil 405 of the charging pad 41 to display the strength of the
currently received power on the wireless power display portion 501,
and calculates an expected charge completion time to display the
expected charge completion time on the remaining time display
portion 503. In FIG. 8, the two coils 405 and 407 are not
positioned collinearly with each other, such that the strength of
power is indicated with two bars on the wireless power display
portion 501, which means that the strength of the received power is
not high, and a corresponding expected charge completion time is
indicated as 2 hours and 10 minutes on the remaining time display
portion 503.
[0044] Referring to FIG. 9, the coil 407 in the portable mobile
terminal 43 and the coil 405 in the charging pad 41 are positioned
collinearly with each other. The portable mobile terminal 43
measures a strength of power wirelessly received from the coil 405
of the charging pad 41 to display the strength of the currently
received power on the wireless power display portion 501, and
calculates an expected charge completion time to display the
expected charge completion time on the remaining time display
portion 503. In FIG. 9, the two coils 405 and 407 are positioned
collinearly with each other, such that the strength of power is
indicated with four bars on the wireless power display portion 501,
which means that the strength of the received power is high, and a
corresponding expected charge completion time is indicated as 1
hour and 40 minutes on the remaining time display portion 503.
[0045] As in the foregoing embodiment, the portable mobile terminal
43 may calculate an expected charge completion time by measuring a
strength of power which changes according to a distance and a
position with respect to the charging pad 41.
[0046] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process of measuring a
strength of power and displaying an expected charge completion time
during wireless charging according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0047] Referring to FIG. 10, a power-receiving electronic device
receives a wireless charging command from a user in step 1001. In
step 1003, the power-receiving electronic device which receives the
wireless charging command determines whether being located in a
distance and a position which allow wireless charging. A criterion
for the determination is whether a power-transmitting electronic
device exists within a preset range from a position of the
power-receiving electronic device, and if the power-transmitting
electronic device exists within the preset range, the
power-receiving electronic device transmits a power request message
to the power-transmitting electronic device and the
power-transmitting electronic device having received the power
request message wirelessly supplies power to the power-receiving
electronic device. If the power-transmitting electronic device does
not exist within the preset range, the power-transmitting
electronic device outputs a wireless charging unavailable message
to an output unit of the power-receiving electronic device in step
1005, and wireless charging is terminated.
[0048] In step 1007, the power-receiving electronic device
calculates an expected charge completion time based on a distance
and a position with respect to the power-transmitting electronic
device. The expected charge completion time is calculated by
measuring a strength of received power, and the strength of power
is determined depending on a distance between the two electronic
devices and positions of coils included in the two electronic
devices, respectively. For example, as a distance between the two
electronic devices increases, a strength of power decreases and a
corresponding expected charge completion time increases. The
strength of power when the coils included in the two electronic
devices are not positioned collinearly with each other is lower
than that when the coils are positioned collinearly with each
other; and the expected charge completion time in the former case
is longer than that in the latter case. In step 1009, the
power-receiving electronic device outputs the calculated expected
charge completion time to the output unit. The strength of the
power measured in step 1007 is also output to the output unit. The
strength of power may be output using preset steps, for example, a
number or a bar graph.
[0049] In step 1011, the power-receiving electronic device
determines whether the power-receiving electronic device or the
power-transmitting electronic device moves to another position.
Such determination may be based on the strength of received power,
such that if the strength of received power changes, the process
goes back to step 1007 to measure the strength of power again,
calculate the expected charge completion time again by using the
measured strength of power, and output the calculated expected
charge completion time. If the strength of power does not change in
step 1011, the process goes to step 1013 to perform wireless
charging during the calculated expected charge completion time.
[0050] While the invention has been shown and described with
reference to a certain exemplary embodiment thereof, it will be
understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form
and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit
and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and
their equivalents.
* * * * *